The only thing we can be sure of about the future is that it will be absolutely fantastic. So if what I say now seems to you to be very reasonable, then I have failed completely. Only if what I tell you appears absolutely unbelievable, have we any chance of visualizing the future as it really will happen.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Despite Kansas' reputation for not being particularly at the cutting edge of scientific controversy, Bob Park reports:

EMISSIONS: "THIS DOESN’T LOOK LIKE KANSAS," DORTHY [sic] SAID.The Kansas Department of Health yesterday rejected a permit for a proposedcoal fired power plant saying emissions threaten health and environment.It was the first government agency to cite CO2 in denying a permit, inkeeping with a Supreme Court ruling in April that EPA must treat CO2 is apollutant, http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN07/wn040607.html . "Quitesimply," Governor Sibelius [sic] said, "we have an obligation to be goodstewards of this state."

This is great! Maybe there's not that much wrong with Kansas after all?

Unfortunately, the CNN report which implies this might not hold up is probably realistic. Still it's good to raise people's awareness that electricity generation is the biggest part of the problem, and a few people obsessively unplugging microwaves won't really help that much.

Soapbox time: The coal people should get nothing until they they get sequestration working. We should be open to sequestration (and minimally destructive mining practices) though, and we should all, producers and consumers, get used to the idea that energy is going to cost much more than it does now.